I Don’t Trust Digital Stuff

That sentiment is not mine, but it is one that comes through loud and clear from NPD’s latest Online Software Purchasing Report. And while it may be a stretch, these findings may also offer us some insight into consumers’ acceptance of owning virtual content going forward. Consumers are clearly used to buying (and renting) things digitally, iTunes is the largest music store in the U.S. according to NPD, and Netflix streaming is undeniably rocketing in popularity as it is incorporated into more and more devices. But strangely it always feels that computer software remains behind the adoption curve. Sometimes it’s bandwidth, sometimes it’s security, sometimes it’s awareness (or just plain interest), and sometimes it’s just comfort; but consumers desire to download real productivity software is clearly behind where they are in getting their other virtual content.

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